Top 200 GRE Words - Part 1 Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Top 200 GRE Words - Part 1 Deck (100)
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1
Q

Abate

A

to reduce in amount, degree

ebb, slacken, moderate

2
Q

Abscond

A

to leave secretly

flee, escape

3
Q

Abstain

A

to choose not to do something

refrain

4
Q

Abyss

A

an extremely deep hole

chasm, void

5
Q

Adulterate

A

to make impure

6
Q

Advocate

A

to speak in favour of

back, champion, support

7
Q

Aesthetic

A

concerning the appreciation of beauty

tasteful

8
Q

Aggrandize

A

to increase in power, influence

amplify, augment, apotheosize

9
Q

Alleviate

A

to make more bearable

allay, assuage, palliate, mitigate

10
Q

Amalgamate

A

to combine, to mix

Intermix, Admix, Commingle

11
Q

Ambiguous

A

doubtful or uncertain

equivocal, nebulous, obscure

12
Q

Ameliorate

A

to make better, to improve

13
Q

Anachronism

A

Something out of place in time

Archaism

14
Q

Analogous

A

similar/alike

Comparable, Equivalent

15
Q

Anomaly

A

deviation from normal

Aberrance, Aberration

16
Q

Antagonize

A

to annoy or provoke to anger

Incite, Pester, Vex

17
Q

Antipathy

A

extreme dislike

Animosity, Animus, Hostility, Aversion

18
Q

Apathy

A

lack of interest or emotion

Indifference, Lassitude, Phlegm, Impassivity

19
Q

Arbitrate

A

to judge

Adjudicate

20
Q

Archaic

A

ancient, old-fashioned

Obsolete, Vintage, Dowdy, Antique

21
Q

Ardor

A

intense, passionate feeling

Zeal, Fervor

22
Q

Articulate

A

able to speak clearly

Eloquent, Fluent, Expressive

23
Q

Assuage

A

to make something unpleasant less severe

Allay, Alleviate, Mitigate, Palliate, Placate

24
Q

Attenuate

A

to reduce in force or degree

Enfeeble, Sap, Enervate, Debilitate

25
Q

Audacious

A

fearless and daring

Daultless, Gallant, Intrepid

26
Q

Austere

A

severe or stern in appearence; undecorated

Harsh, Severe, Grim

27
Q

BANAL

A

predictable, cliched, boring

BLAND, CLICHED, HACKNEYED, TRITE

28
Q

BOLSTER:

A

to support; to prop up

BUTTRESS, SUPPORT

29
Q

BOMBASTIC:

A

pompous in speech and manner

BLOATED, GRANDIOSE, PRETENTIOUS

30
Q

CACOPHONY:

A

harsh, jarring noise

DISCORD, DISHARMONY, NOISE

31
Q

CANDID:

A

impartial and honest in speech

FORTHRIGHT

32
Q

CAPRICIOUS:

A

changing one’s mind quickly and often

ERRATIC, FICKLE, MERCURIAL, WHIMSICAL

33
Q

CASTIGATE:

A

to punish or criticize harshly

ADMONISH, CHASTISE, REPRIMAND, REPROACH, CHIDE, SCOLD

34
Q

CATALYST:

A

something that brings about a change in something else

35
Q

CAUSTIC:

A

biting in wit

ACERBIC, TRENCHANT

36
Q

CHAOS:

A

great disorder or confusion

SCRAMBLE, TURMOIL

37
Q

CHAUVINIST:

A

someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs

PARTISAN, PARTIAL

38
Q

CHICANERY:

A

deception by means of craft or guile

DECEPTION, SUBTERFUGE

39
Q

COGENT:

A

convincing and well reasoned

CONVINCING, SOUND

40
Q

CONDONE:

A

to overlook, pardon, or disregard

EXCULPATE

41
Q

CONVOLUTED:

A

intricate and complicated

KNOTTY, LABYRINTHINE

42
Q

CORROBORATE:

A

to provide supporting evidence

BUTTRESS, SUBSTANTIATE

43
Q

CREDULOUS:

A

too trusting; gullible

NAIVE, SUSCEPTIBLE

44
Q

CRESCENDO:

A

steadily increasing volume or force

45
Q

DECORUM:

A

conforming to acceptable standards

DECENCY, PROPRIETY

46
Q

DEFERENCE:

A

respect, courtesy

REVERENCE, VENERATION

47
Q

DERIDE:

A

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

RIDICULE, SCOFF, SNEER

48
Q

DESICCATE:

A

to dry out thoroughly

49
Q

DESULTORY:

A

jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

HAPHAZARD, ERRATIC, RANDOM

50
Q

DIATRIBE:

A

an abusive, condemnatory speech

HARANGUE, TIRADE, INVECTIVE,

51
Q

DIFFIDENT:

A

lacking self-confidence

TIMID, MODEST, DEMURE

52
Q

DILATE:

A

to make larger; to expand

AMPLIFY, ENLARGE

53
Q

DILATORY:

A

intended to delay

DRAGGING, LAGGARD

54
Q

DILETTANTE:

A

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

AMATEUR

55
Q

DIRGE:

A

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

ELEGY

56
Q

DISABUSE:

A

to set right; to free from error

57
Q

DISCERN:

A

to perceive; to recognize

58
Q

DISPARATE:

A

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

59
Q

DISSEMBLE:

A

to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character

The villain could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer-he admitted the deed and tore up
the floor to reveal the body of the old man

DISGUISE, MASQUERADE, SHAM

60
Q

DISSONANCE:

A

a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds.

Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.

CONTENTION, DISCORD

61
Q

DOGMA:

A

a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief

DOCTRINE

62
Q

DOGMATIC:

A

dictatorial in one’s opinions

AUTHORITARIAN, DICTATORIAL, IMPERIOUS

63
Q

DUPE:

A

to deceive; a person who is easily deceived

HOODWINK, BEGUILE

64
Q

ECLECTIC:

A

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

Budapest’s architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of eastern and western styles.

BROAD

65
Q

EFFICACY:

A

effectiveness

66
Q

ELEGY:

A

a sorrowful poem or speech

Although Thomas Gray’s “ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard” is about death and
loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality.

DIRGE

67
Q

ELOQUENT:

A

persuasive and moving, especially in speech

68
Q

EMULATE:

A

to copy; to try to equal or excel

69
Q

ENERVATE:

A

to reduce in strength

DEBILITATE, ENFEEBLE

70
Q

ENGENDER:

A

to produce, cause, or bring about

BEGET, PROLIFERATE

71
Q

ENIGMA:

A

a puzzle; a mystery

CONUNDRUM

72
Q

ENUMERATE:

A

to count, list, or itemize

TABULATE

73
Q

EPHEMERAL:

A

lasting a short time

EVANESCENT, TRANSIENT

74
Q

EQUIVOCATE:

A

to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

EVASIVE, AMBIGUOUS

75
Q

ERRATIC:

A

wandering and unpredictable

CAPRICIOUS, WHIMSICAL

76
Q

ERUDITE:

A

learned, scholarly, bookish

77
Q

ESOTERIC:

A

known or understood by only a few

Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle
physics

78
Q

ESTIMABLE:

A

admirable

PRAISEWORTHY, VENERABLE

79
Q

EULOGY:

A

speech in praise of someone

His best friend gave the EULOGY, outlining his many achievements and talents.

80
Q

EUPHEMISM:

A

use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

81
Q

EXACERBATE:

A

to make worse

AGGRAVATE

82
Q

EXCULPATE:

A

to clear from blame; prove innocent

The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to EXCULPATE
those who are innocent.

ABSOLVE, ACQUIT, EXONERATE

83
Q

EXIGENT:

A

urgent; requiring immediate action

The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the
bleeding.

URGENT, CRITICAL

84
Q

EXONERATE:

A

to clear of blame

The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime

ABSOLVE, EXCULPATE, ACQUIT

85
Q

EXPLICIT:

A

clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression

86
Q

FANATICAL:

A

acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion

ZEALOUS, FERVID

87
Q

FAWN:

A

to grovel

The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent
basis

BOOTLICK, TOADY

88
Q

FERVID:

A

intensely emotional; feverish

ZEALOUS, PASSIONATE

89
Q

FLORID:

A

excessively decorated or embellished

The palace had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style; every surface had been
carved and gilded.

ORNATE, FLAMBOYANT, OSTENTATIOUS

90
Q

FOMENT:

A

to arouse or incite

AGITATE, INSTIGATE, KINDLE

91
Q

FRUGALITY:

A

a tendency to be thrifty or cheap

ECONOMICAL, PARSIMONY

92
Q

GARRULOUS:

A

tending to talk a lot

The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking

LOQUACIOUS

93
Q

GREGARIOUS:

A

outgoing, sociable

She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad

SOCIABLE, CONGENIAL, AFFABLE

94
Q

GUILE:

A

deceit or trickery

CHICANERY

95
Q

GULLIBLE:

A

easily deceived

96
Q

HOMOGENEOUS:

A

of a similar kind

UNIFORM

97
Q

ICONOCLAST:

A

one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions

His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST.

NONCONFORMIST, MAVERICK,

98
Q

IMPERTURBABLE:

A

not capable of being disturbed

STOICAL, COMPOSED

99
Q

IMPERVIOUS:

A

impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

A good raincoat will be IMPERVIOUS to moisture

IMPREGNABLE, RESISTANT

100
Q

IMPETUOUS:

A

quick to act without thinking

It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, since much thought should be
given to all the possible options.

IMPULSIVE, SPONTANEOUS